This invention relates to forage harvesting equipment and more particularly relates to a rake wheel apparatus for use on forage harvesting equipment such as cylindrical balers and rakes generally.
Rake wheels are commonly used on side delivery rakes for moving crop material transversely of the direction in which the rake is being pulled through the field. Such a rake is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,411. It is also known to use such rake wheels as an attachment on harvest machines such as a cylindrical baler as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,678,669 and 4,182,103. In such an application, a pair of rake wheels are attached to the front of the baler. One wheel is mounted on each side and extends beyond the width of the baler pickup. As the baler is pulled through a field, the rake wheels rake crop material disposed on the ground outside of the pickup path of the baler transversely inwardly and into the path of the baler pickup. The wheels thus permit the baler to pickup crop material from a wider strip of the field than would otherwise be possible for each pass of the baler through the field.
As illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,669, it is known to attach such wheels to a cylindrical baler with an arm pivotally connected at one end to the baler so that the wheel and arm may be moved between an operative and an inoperative position. The rake wheel is mounted at the other end of the arm and is pivotally connected so that the rake wheel is adjustable about a vertical axis.
It is also known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,103, to mount the rake wheel on a wheel support arm which is pivotally connected to the baler frame with a universal joint. The universal joint permits the wheel support arm to be pivoted simultaneously about a horizontal and a vertical axis. The universal joint is disclosed as providing protection for the wheel by permitting the wheel and arm (1) to pivot about a horizontal axis when uneven ground or an object such as a stub or a rock is encountered and, (2) also to pivot toward the baler tongue when the baler is backed up. The disclosed rake wheel lacks simplicity, restricts maneuverability of the tractor for pulling the baler, and has a mounting structure in front of the wheel which may interfere with the crop to be harvested.